This joins Warriors-Cavaliers and Heat-Pelicans as the reported Christmas games in the NBA’s tentative schedule. This is probably the least-attractive matchup on paper, though.

The Clippers have at least three players – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan – better than any Lakers. It’s possible, with the right breaks, J.J. Redick, Lance Stephenson and/or Paul Pierce could best any Laker, too.

This is a regular-season game, and any team can win one of those. So, don’t be surprised if the Lakers win. This might be their biggest game of the season while the Clippers look forward to the playoffs.

But make no mistake: This is the Clippers’ game to lose, and they’re also playing for something – trying to carve into the Lakers’ massive fan base in Los Angeles.

A few years back, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov knew he needed a winning team to open the Barclays’ Center, a team that could get New York’s attention. He ordered his GM to spend without concern for the luxury tax, he openly laughed at that demarcation line. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, trading for Joe Johnson, and the list goes on — Brooklyn bought a pretty good team, one that made the second round of the playoffs, but at a ridiculous price tag.

Now, times have changed — the Nets waived Deron Williams, traded Garnett, let Pierce bolt to the other coast, and made moves to get under (or at least close to) the luxury tax. Prokhorov is sending out letters to season ticket holders touting a younger, more athletic team. They are going to try and build in a more traditional way. Well, except without draft picks for a while.

One league source told NetsDaily it will be a long time, if ever, before the Nets pay the luxuy tax again. Part of his thinking is that they will go into next summer with $40 million in cap space, enough to pursue a star or more likely, pay two of three good players … some of whom may be their own. The other reason is they think with a longer term strategy and some good fortune, they can win while being fiscally frugal. They’re putting a LOT of stock in continuity, particularly with the coaching staff. (The insider said that he could foresee the Nets maxing out only one of their current playes, Bojan Bogdanovic, two years from now if he breaks out.)

They are going to act like 29 other teams.

The general rule of thumb around the league is not to go into the tax — especially avoid the dreaded repeater tax (for being above the tax line three out of four years) — unless you are in a window of title contention. The Cavaliers are about to do it to keep LeBron James happy, but they should — with him they are contenders for the next five years (at least). But you don’t see even the big market money machines like the Lakers and Knicks willing to spend way over the line right now, at least until they get somewhere near contender status again. You can’t just buy a team.

What this likely means for the Nets is some short term pain. They certainly still have the talent to make the bottom half of the playoffs in the East — they did spend this summer to retain Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young — but the rebuilding is going to take a little time. Especially considering all the draft picks they sent away during the “win now” era (Boston will be picking for the Nets a lot in the coming years).

The Nets have learned how to build patiently, while their owner has learned how to dodge marriage promises. They may be getting things right, but there is still a price to be paid for their win-now era.

With the Wizards having success going small in the playoffs — Paul Pierce was the four at key moments — Washington management decided to check the trade market for Nene this summer. Which was all good with many Wizards fans — in DC Nene became the scapegoat for last season, especially after an Al Horford putback cost them game five against the Hawks (Washington lost in six).

CSNwashington.com reported earlier this offseason that Nene, who is entering the final year of a deal that pays him $13 million, didn’t draw any interest in the trade market and isn’t likely to be moved before the start of the 2015-16 season. If he is eventually moved with that expiring deal, that’s more likely to happen near the February trade deadline but if they allow his size to leave they’ll want size in return. Being injury-prone is a recurring issue, but the Wizards like him, and they’ll need him to get past the Chicago Bulls or Cleveland Cavaliers in the postseason.

J. Michael also sticks up for Nene against the heat he took in the nation’s capital. On that final play of Game 5, Michael notes Nene did leave Horford, but only because first Paul Pierce on the switch was beaten by Dennis Schroeder driving the lane, then when John Wall recovered and blocked the shot off the glass. After leaving Horford, Nene went over to body up Paul Millsap, who after setting the pick had beaten Pierce badly and was in great rebounding position. The real issue was that Pierce chased the ball then didn’t help the helper — Nene got Pierce’s man, Pierce needed to put a body on Horford. Didn’t happen. But if Nene had stuck right with his man then Millsap gets the tip for the win. The Wizard defense was not exactly on a string, the only guy who did what he was supposed to was Bradley Beal, who didn’t leave Kyle Kover.

Michael took a bigger picture view as well.

How quickly those forget that the culture in D.C. changed when the 7-foot Brazilian arrived in a trade with the Denver Nuggets and JaVale McGee and the circus that surrounded him was shipped away for good.

Nene was part of the much-needed culture change that has allowed Wall to flourish of late. Washington isn’t thinking conference finals without part of what Nene brought.

Think of it this way, a guy with more holes in his game in Rajon Rondo came into the league and landed in Boston, where veterans like Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and others taught him how to be a professional and play on the game’s biggest stages. Wall landed on a team with Gilbert Arenas, McGee, and Andray Blatche. Reverse those situations and how are those two point guards different?

All that said, expect to hear Nene’s name come up in a lot of trade rumors as we work our way into next season.

The Clippers have the best classic point guard in the game in Chris Paul, but they have been searching for someone who can competently take the helm while they get him some rest during games. And I’m far from sold Austin Rivers is the answer.

Pablo Prigioni has been brought in as insurance.

Prigioni was traded from Houston to Denver in the Ty Lawson deal; then the Nuggets promptly waived him and his non-guaranteed contract (well, they tried to trade him first but that didn’t go anywhere). He cleared waivers to become a free agent and quickly signed with Doc Rivers and the Clippers, something first reported by Shams Charania of Real GM.

Free agent guard Pablo Prigioni has reached agreement on a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league source tells RealGM.

Prigioni struggled some after being traded from the Knicks to the Rockets, he scored just 3 points per game, but count in his time with the Knicks and he had a true shooting percentage of 55.7 percent (better than the league average) and he shot 34.3 percent from three. He plays a smart game and doesn’t turn the ball over much. At age 38 the Argentinian is not getting better, but as a third point guard in the rotation and at a minimum contract he’s a good fit.

The Clippers certainly addressed their depth issues from last season. Prigioni will join guys like Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson, and Cole Aldrich on the second unit (that assumes Paul Pierce starts). Doc Rivers the GM had a good summer.